In order to celebrate its five year anniversary, Xiaomi announced its affordable Redmi 2A, an Android running handset that carries a price tag of just $97. Earlier this year, Microsoft also announced its affordable Lumia 430, stating that it is the cheapest Windows Phone that the company has rolled out till now, and carries a price of $70. One of the perks of owning the latest Windows Phone will be that users will get an automatic upgrade to Microsoft's highly anticipated Windows 10 operating system, which features a unified interface.

Redmi 2A however, will be running Google's KitKat 4.4 update 'out of the box', much to the disappointment of consumers who wanted to experience a budget handset running Google's Lollipop update. Where Xiaomi's handset excels is the hardware department; possessing a Leadcore SoC with a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, coupled with a 720p 4.7 inch display and a 2,200 mAh battery. Both smartphones possess the same amount of RAM and can accommodate two SIMs, but Lumia 430 comes in a 4 inch screen size and is running a dual-core 1.2 GHz CPU, 1,500 mAh battery and a resolution that is less than Redmi 2A's.

Both smartphones also pack a microSD slot, but the advantage of owning a Lumia 430 will be that it will provide storage upgrade up to 128 GB while Redmi 2A has a limit of just 32 GB. It should be noted that both devices possess the same amount of on-board storage. Xiaomi's entry level offering does possess a better camera sensor (8 MP compared to Lumia 430's 2 MP sensor), but one primary reason why Microsoft's affordable handset will be the product to buy out of the two is because it will be the recipient to the company's Windows 10 platform, which will bring amount numerous changes to desktop and mobile phone platforms, improving the overall user experience.

Google's KitKat update has come a long way, but in the face of Windows' superior operating system, Google still has a lot of catching up to do.